Recent Publications

Recent Publications (2011 to Present)

Larissa Hjorth (ed) et al, Art in the Asia-Pacific: Intimate Publics

As social, locative, and mobile media render the intimate public and the public intimate, this volume interrogates how this phenomenon impacts art practice and politics. Contributors bring together the worlds of art and media culture to rethink their intersections in light of participatory social media. By focusing upon the Asia-Pacific region, they seek to examine how regionalism and locality affect global circuits of culture. The book also offers a set of theoretical frameworks and methodological paradigms for thinking about contemporary art practice more generally. (Description from publisher’s website)

Matthias Arndt, Sip! Indonesian Art Today: Seni Rupa Indonesia Kini

Indonesia is one of the countries where exciting art is still waiting to be discovered. Over the past ten years, a growing number of group exhibitions and survey shows have presented Indonesian art. What has been sorely lacking is a book about the country’s best-known artists. “Sip!–Indonesian Art Today” introduces readers to 16 established and young artists, presenting each of them with recent works. Farah Wardani, director of the Indonesian Visual Art Archive, Yogyakarta, has compiled brief texts shedding light on the artist’s conceptions. Biographical information, exhibition histories, bibliographies, and portraits of the artists complement the illustrations. The curator Enin Supriyanto, a leading expert on the Indonesian art scene, has contributed an essay examining the most recent developments in Indonesian art, tying them back to the art history of the past forty years and mapping them to the transformations in Indonesian society and politics during the same period. A timeline extending from the 1970s to the present additionally visualizes the most important moments in art, in Indonesia and abroad, making the book an indispensable compendium for collectors and curators, students of art and everyone who is interested. (Description from Amazon.com)

Parul Dave Mukherji (ed) et al, InFlux: Contemporary Art in Asia

InFlux: Contemporary Art in Asia brings together essays by leading critics and curators to examine modern and contemporary art practice and its discourses in Asia. Covering diverse regions spanning China, India, Thailand, Iran, West Asia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Tibet, and Cambodia, the book examines their multiple modernities and the arrival of many Asia upon the contemporary art scene.

Some centers have become celebrated in the international exhibition circuit and the art market, but there is also an Asia beyond their ambit, and the book throws light upon major and minor, established and emergent geographies of art. Asia’s own internal minorities fracture any unified sense of place, and representing this diversity has become a major challenge for today’s curator.

What is the impact on contemporary art of state power and burgeoning economies, or the persistent stereotypes of Asian craftsmanship, exoticism, and religiosity or the new ones of terrorism and tourist paradise? The book aims to challenge some of these perceptions by viewing modern and contemporary Asian art not as a given field but as a project in flux, constantly under revision via art practice and curatorial interventions.

Thai Transience by Apinan Poshyananda et al.

Thai Transience showcases paintings, sculptures, photographs, installations and videos by leading Thai artists. Inspiration behind these pieces are drawn from traditional artefacts and art objects from local museums and religious sites within Thailand, showing how Thai contemporary artists continue to create new expressions responding to their heritage and faith. This exhibition catalogue offers a unique perspective of Thai art-making that traverses the categories of traditional, modern and contemporary art, from both emerging and senior Thai contemporary artists such as Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Bussaraporn Thongchai, Chokchai Tukpoe, Chusak Srikwan, Dow Wasiksiri, Imhathai Suwatthanasilp, Kamin Lertchaiprasert, Panya Vijinthanasarn, Phatyos Buddhacharoen, Rikrit Tiravanija, Thawan Duchanee and Yuree Kensaku. A suitable publication for both researchers and art lovers, Thai Transience is also an ideal reference tool for exploring the art of Southeast Asia (from the Back Cover)

The Art of Modern China by Julia F. Andrews and Kuiyi Shen

In the early twenty-first century, China occupies a place on center stage in the international art world. But what does it mean to be a Chinese artist in the modern age? This first comprehensive study of modern Chinese art history traces its evolution chronologically and thematically from the Age of Imperialism to the present day. Julia Andrews and Kuiyi Shen pay particular attention to the dynamic tension between modernity and tradition, as well as the interplay of global cosmopolitanism and cultural nationalism. This lively, accessible, and beautifully illustrated text will serve and enlighten scholars, students, collectors, and anyone with an interest in Asian art and artists (from Amazon.com Website)

“The Art of Modern China is a long-awaited, much-needed survey. The authors’ combined experience in this field is exceptional. In addition to presenting key arguments for students and arts professionals, Andrews and Shen enliven modern Chinese art for all readers. The Art of Modern China gives just treatment to an expanded field of overlooked artworks that confront the challenges of modernization.” – De-nin Deanna Lee, author of The Night Banquet: A Chinese Scroll through Time. (from the Inside Flap)

Not In Any Order: Writings on Singapore Art 2006-2010 by Lim Kok Boon

Not In Any Order: Writings on Singapore Art 2006-2010 is an anthology of artist, educator and art critic Lim Kok Boon’s writings on the Singaporean visual art scene. The book features thoughtful, insightful and not uncritical reviews of 80 exhibitions which are grouped into four themes, namely, “Modernity Then And Now”, “Consuming Selves”, “Relaism, reality” and “Packaging New Waves”. Each theme is accompanied by an essay which sets the context for the reviewed exhibitions. The book covers exhibitions which are now seen as ground-breaking, such as “Telah Terbit” (Out Now): Southeast Asian Contemporary Art and it has a good mix of different art forms that show the diversity of art practices here. The book ends with a personal musing on the role of an art critic. Given the paucity of writings on Singaporean art, this publication serves as an important documentation of the history of exhibitions in Singapore and, consequently, its art history.

Narratives in Malaysian Art Volume 2: Reactions – New Critical Strategies looks at the ways in which Malaysian artists have responded to socio-political events that have taken place in Malaysia, and also at the changing approaches and attitudes in art-making over the past 45 years. Featuring leading critical voices in Malaysian art from the 70s to the 90s, to those of a younger generation of artists, writers and researchers, this volume captures something of the underlying urgency and passion that have informed the development of contemporary Malaysian art and artistic practice. Contained within this volume are polemical tracts by artists and art groups, existing and newly commissioned essays, as well as interviews with artists, and excerpts from seminal exhibition texts.The volume is also illustrated with black-and-white and colour documentation of over 100 art works and events (Description from Select Books website).

Everyday Life in Southeast Asia. Edited by Kathleen Adams and Kathleen Gillogly

This lively survey of the peoples, cultures, and societies of Southeast Asia introduces a region of tremendous geographic, linguistic, historical, and religious diversity. Encompassing both mainland and island countries, these engaging essays describe personhood and identity, family and household organization, nation-states, religion, popular culture and the arts, the legacies of war and recovery, globalization, and the environment. Throughout, the focus is on the daily lives and experiences of ordinary people. Most of the essays are original to this volume, while a few are widely taught classics. All were chosen for their timeliness and interest, and are ideally suited for the classroom (Description from Amazon.com).

Modern Art in Africa, Asia and Latin America: An Introduction to Global Modernisms. Edited by Elaine O’Brien et. al.

Shedding fresh light on the influence of modern art beyond the West, this timely anthology provides a much-needed corrective to the Eurocentric historiography of modern art, redefining it as a global rather than purely Western phenomenon and offering a more worldly and expanded view than any existing modern art survey. Divided in to three sections focusing on the geographic areas that have often been left out of conversations around modernity, the volume brings together a selection of major essays and historical documents addressing not only painting and sculpture but photography, film and architecture as well. Section introductions, critical essays, and documents provide the relevant contextual material, link each narrative to other art histories in the book, supply essential background information, and guide the reader through the key theoretical positions and debates. Bringing together narratives of modern art that have been scattered in area studies of Asian, African, and Latin American art history, the volume tells a more accurate story of the radical transformation associated with modernity worldwide and opens the subject up to cross-cultural comparison. Modern Art in Africa, Asia and Latin America also addresses often-neglected topics in modern art that are especially relevant to the study of postmodernity, such as modern art in diaspora, colonial art education and institutions, and pre-histories of new media, concepts, and methods. This is a useful tool for all students and scholars of non-Western modernisms which will encourage a deeper engagement with, and understanding of, modern art as a global phenomenon (From the back cover of book)

Contemporary Photography in Asia by Keiko Hooton and Tony Godfrey

Filled with luminous photographs from the best practitioners working today, this unique collection contextualizes contemporary Asian photography against the backdrop of massive cultural, social, and political changes in the region. Global expansion and growing local economies have allowed the obsession with photography to sweep the Asian continent. Japan was the first in the region to fall in love with photography; most Western readers are already familiar with names such as Araki. Rinko Kawauchi’s recent nomination for the Deutsche Börse prize has sparked huge international interest in Asia’s most popular art form. Now, South Korea, China, and Southeast Asia are also emerging as powerhouses in the photographic realm. This beautiful, up-to-date volume documents the growing culture of photography as an art form in Asia, including often overlooked countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Singapore. The book features short essays on the status of photography by region and introduces each artist through spreads of their work, a short biography, and a personal statement given exclusively for this unique book. The stunning images speak volumes about one of the most exciting developments in contemporary photography. (description from publisher’s website)

Terms and Conditions

The catalogue of the exhibition “Terms and Conditions”, which featured the works of artists from the Arab world, provides a nuanced glimpse into the exhibition and its artists with write-ups, interviews and essays. Offering insight into the layered themes of the show, the catalogue examines the relationships between power, control and representation, highlighting how power impacts perceptions of identity, location, history and memory with a focus on The Arab world (adapted from the Singapore Art Museum website)

Contemporary Art in Hong Kong by Caroline Ha Thuc

The last decade has seen Hong Kong blossom into one of Asia’s true artistic hotspots, with its galleries, art projects and fairs now flourishing along with local and international audiences. At the centre of this cultural renaissance are the artists themselves – working as both products and interpreters of Hong Kong’s complex historical legacy. Though often finding themselves at odds with society’s values, they have developed a wholly unique genre of art that acts as a vital bridge between a place and its people. The artist interviews in Contemporary Art in Hong Kong expose the countless links between history, culture and identity as well as Ha Thuc’s conviction that art not only reflects society, but can also mould it. (Description from Select Books website)

The Global Contemporary and the Rise of New Art Worlds. Edited by Hans Belting, Andrea Buddensieg and Peter Weibel

The geography of the visual arts changed with the end of the Cold War. Contemporary art was no longer defined, exhibited, interpreted, and acquired according to a blueprint drawn up in New York, London, Paris, or Berlin. The art world distributed itself into art worlds. With the emergence of new art scenes in Asia and the Middle East and the explosion of biennials, the visual arts have become globalized as surely as the world economy has. This book offers a new map of contemporary art’s new worlds. The Global Contemporary and the Rise of New Art Worlds documents the globalization of the visual arts and the rise of the contemporary over the last twenty years. Lavishly illustrated, with color throughout, it tracks developments ranging from exhibition histories and the rise of new art spaces to art’s branding in such emerging markets as Hong Kong and the Gulf States. Essays treat such subjects as curating after the global turn; art and the migration of pictures; the end of the canon; and new strategies of representation. (Description from The MIT Press website)

Tomorrow, Today: Contemporary Art from the Singapore Art Museum (2009-2011) is a must-read guide to SAM’s contemporary art collection. The works featured were brought into the collection from 2009 to 2011, following SAM’s transformation into a contemporary art museum. There are over 300 fully illustrated artworks, including significant and iconic pieces from emerging artists and senior art practitioners from the Southeast Asian region, as well as China, India and Japan. This guide is an accessible resource for all artists, curators, critics, writers and art lovers interested in the region and Asia’s contemporary art scene. (Description from publisher’s website)

The first of four volumes, Narratives in Malaysian Art Volume I: Imagining Identities brings together a collection of essays that looks at the many ways in which art has provided artists with the means of imagining themselves, and imagining Malaysia. Writing from different times and contexts, the 19 essays in this publication comprises 5 republished essays written between the 1970s to1990s and new commissioned essays by writers and artists that range across generations and groups. This publication includes 50 years of Malaysian art, a visual summary of the Malaysian art through the decades and a timeline chart of key art and historical events. (Description from Select Books website)

Intersecting Histories: Contemporary Turns in Southeast Asian Art is a book that is published in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name held at the Nanyang Technological University Gallery from September to November 2012. It contains five critical essays by T.K. Sabapathy, Yvonne Low, Seng Yu Jin, Aminudin T H Siregar and Adele Tan. The book addresses issues relating to the contemporary and contemporaneity in Southeast Asian Art and also provides critical insights into Southeast Asian artists and works of art.

Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art: An Anthology. Edited by Nora Taylor and Boreth Ly

This anthology explores artistic practices and works from a diverse and vibrant region. Scholars, critics, and curators offer their perspectives on Southeast Asian art and artists, aiming not to define the field but to Illuminate its changing nature and Its Interactions with creative endeavors and histories originating elsewhere. These essays examine a range of new and modern work, from sculptures that Invoke post-conflict trauma In Cambodia to Thai art Installations that Invite audience participation and thereby challenge traditional definitions of the “art obJect.” In this way, the authors not only provide a lively stUdy of regional art, but challenge and expand broad debates about international and transnational art. (Description from publisher’s website)

Asian Modernities: Chinese and Thai Art Compared, 1980 to 1999 by John Clark

Asian Modernities is a groundbreaking comparison of two contemporary Asian art cultures. This is the first analysis that defines a space for Asian modernity without direct reference to Euramerica. Based on John Clark’s extensive primary research using vernacular written and interview materials in Chinese and Thai, Asian Modernities also develops theoretical perspectives on genealogies of modernity, and the twin phenomena of globalisation and transnational artistic identity. This highly illustrated book combines institutional examination with a close attention to art works and to the way artists have positioned themselves through them at home and abroad. (Description from Amazon.com)

In 2008, Asia stormed the citadel of the New York art world when two major museums presented retrospectives of Asian contemporary artists: Cai Guo-Qiang at the Guggenheim Museum and Takashi Murakami at the Brooklyn Museum. Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, a painting by Zeng Fanzhi sold for $9.5 million, setting a new world auction record for Chinese contemporary art. The Western art world is still coming to grips with the challenge: it is all about Asia now. This book is the first anthology of critical writings to map the shift in both the nature and the reception of Asian art over the past twenty years. Offering texts by leading figures in the field (mostly Asian), and including more than fifty illustrations in color and black and white, it covers developments in East Asia (including China, Korea, and Japan), South Asia (including India and Pakistan), and Southeast Asia (including Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand). Together, the twenty-three textsposit a historical and pan-Asian response to the question, “What is Asian contemporary art?” Considering such topics as Asian modernism (“productive mistranslation” of the European original), Asian cubism, and the curating, collecting, and criticism of Asian contemporary art, this book promises to be a foundational reference for many years to come. (Description from publisher’s website)

Hybrid Culture: Japanese Media Arts in Dialogue with the West by Yvonne Spielmann

This book grew out of Yvonne Spielmann’s 2005–2006 and 2009 visits to Japan, where she explored the technological and aesthetic origins of Japanese new-media art–which was known for pioneering interactive and virtual media applications in the 1990s. Spielmann discovered an essential hybridity in Japan’s media culture: an internal hybridity, a mixture of digital-analog connections together with a non-Western development of modernity separate from but not immune to Western media aesthetics; and external hybridity, produced by the international, transcultural travel of aesthetic concepts.

Spielmann describes the innovative technology context in Japan, in which developers, engineers, and artists collaborate, and traces the Japanese fondness for precision and functionality to the poetics of unobtrusiveness and detail. She examines work by artists including Masaki Fujihata, whose art is both formally and thematically hybrid; Seiko Mikami and Sota Ichikawa, who build special devices for a new sense of human-machine interaction; Toshio Iwai, who connects traditional media forms with computing; and Tatsuo Miyajima, who anchors his LED artwork in Buddhist philosophy. Spielmann views hybridity as a positive aesthetic value–perhaps the defining aesthetic of a global culture. Hybridity offers a conceptual approach for considering the ambivalent linkages of contradictory elements; its dynamic and fluid characteristics are neither conclusive nor categorical but are meant to stimulate fusions. (Description from the publisher’s website)

Professor Yvonne Spielmann is the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at LASALLE College of the Arts, singapore

Contemporary Art: World Currents by Terry Smith

Author Terry Smith argues that, in recent decades, a global shift from modern to contemporary art has occurred: artists everywhere have embraced the contemporary world’s teeming multiplicity, its proliferating differences and its challenging complexities and new technologies. Alongside more than 350 carefully selected color images of key works, Terry Smith offers the first account of these changes, from their historical beginnings to the present day. Exploring key works by both well known and little-known artists, the author shows how contemporary art achieved definitive force in the markets and museums of the major art centres during the 1980s and then became a global phenomenon as artworlds everywhere began to connect more closely: new communicative technologies and expanding social media are now shaping the future of art. Contemporary Art: World Currents breaks new ground in tracing how modern, traditional and indigenous art became contemporary in each cultural region of the world, ranging across Western, East and Central Europe, North and South America and the Caribbean, Oceania, Africa, and the Middle East. Terry Smith lays the groundwork for a new comparative approach to contemporary art, emphasizing its relationships to all aspects of contemporary life. He argues that it is cultural diversity and individual artistic inventiveness, not a convergence towards sameness, which makes today’s art contemporary. (Description from Amazon.com)

About Asian Art Histories

Asian Art Histories is a website of the Master of Arts in Asian Art Histories programme at LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore. The Master of Arts in Asian Art Histories is unique in being the first taught postgraduate programme to focus on Asian contemporary visual arts. This programme seeks to educate and train students who have a serious interest in contributing original scholarship to the discourse of an emerging field... Read More